By thedihedral Posted on

Sports Anime

As I shared with you on my last post, I have not been- for varied reasons- directly involved with climbing or any other outdoor activity for the past few months. I have hit a wall and I am finding ways to drain and find motivation from other sources while I can get my life back in order ! Therefore, today I am going to share with you one of my guilty pleasures and an unexpected tool that has helped me keep my flame alive and rediscover myself… Anime !

I know what you might be thinking, and I agree… This post does not have much to do with the overall thematic of the blog. However, because we are honest with you and have focused on making this blog a safe space for expression, I will share with you -through my selection- my current state of mind while providing you two great shows if you happen to be an anime lover or curious about it. I must point out that the ones that I have chosen revolve around the lives of athletes, which means that I am not that far off ! Let the moment of truth begin.

Ballroom e Youkoso

Ballroom_e_yōkoso_logo

Ballroom e Youkoso or Welcome to the Ballroom follows the life of Tatara, a self-conscious middle school student who embarks on a journey to discover himself as a person through dancing. In this anime we evidence the challenges of the discipline, the complexity of building a partnership, and the pressure of competitions with a touch of comedy and drama. If you have had the opportunity to read some of my posts, you might recall that I have mentioned my involvement with ballroom dancing and the impact it has had on my life. I LOVE TO DANCE; however, I have had to put my dancing on hold for an undetermined period of time. Having to make that choice hurt, but it was the right and responsible one at the moment. I was somewhat in denial about the fact that I had to take a “break” just when I was starting and I didn’t know how to canalize my frustration and disappointment. All of this changed after reading the comment section of a Youtube DanceSport competition video I was watching with my son where many users mentioned how the anime Ballroom e Youkoso had brought them there. It had been a while since I hadn’t watched anime and due to the current circumstances, why not ? I am glad that I allowed myself to find some time to watch this and to focus on the little things that give me life. Watching each episode was an incredible experience because it put me on their shoes as a dancer. I was allowing these fictional characters to take me on their journey and it was both a strange and pleasant experience. The amount of inspiration I got from following the main character’s journey has motivated me to look forward and work hard for the time, whenever that will be, that I will have the opportunity to put my shoes back on at the studio.

Yuri!!! on Ice

Yuri!!!_on_Ice_logo

If you follow anime, I am sure that you have already watched Yuri on Ice or at least heard about it. This anime was released on 2016 having lots of traction and impact not only on Japan but worldwide. Yuri on Ice follows the career of doomed ice skater Yuuri Katsuki and acclaimed champion Viktor Nikiforov with a focus on the impact the artistic career and guidance of the latter has on Yuuri on a professional and personal level. To be honest, what struck the most from this anime, aside from the overall excitement of watching the career of Yuuri evolve in correlation to his personal character, was how organic the relationship between the main two characters was portrayed. It had been a while since I hadn’t seen a romantic relationship on a show be developed with such innocence and purity. Even though we get glimpses of the typical anime fan service, the core of the emotion remains pure. I could not stop smiling whenever these characters interacted and I am not ashamed to express how much these two have inspired me. I am speechless with a smile from ear to ear…Hats off to the writers.

I am amazed at how much of an impact something that sometimes we consider as trivial can have on our lives. I never thought that I would feel so motivated and alive after watching these anime nor that I would be openly expressing this on a blog. Today I find myself here doing the unexpected and at the same time unavoidable. Because I live by the day, I cannot wait to see what crazy story I will be sharing with you guys next.

Thank you for putting up with my existential crises and being respectful and open to different themes. As usual, your turn is next…

What do you watch or read to keep your flame alive ? What is your motivational guilty pleasure ?

Infinite Love,

Gaia
Gaia Co-writer theDIHEDRAL

 

37 Replies to “Sports Anime”

  1. Paritosh Nair says: Reply

    If sports anime is what u are looking for then go for Kuroko no basket, haikyuu and Diamond no ace. They are amazing and full of enthusiasm & motivation.

    Liked by 3 people

      1. Paritosh Nair says:

        No worries bro… I’m a huge anime fan myself. So if you want to know more contact me any time. I also just started blogging and will be soon putting up some contents on popular animes, so you can check them out in the future.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. thedihedral says: Reply

      I started watching Haikyuu and I’m beyond pumped… Hinata and Tanaka are everything !!! Can’t wait to keep watching; excited that this one has more than 12-24 episodes of pure fun and excitement !!!

      Gaia.

      Like

      1. Paritosh Nair says:

        I’m glad that you enjoying the show. And don’t worry this excitement won’t stop as I have toon of other shows for you. Stay tuned for more updates. And thank you for your support.

        Liked by 1 person

      1. KingDylbag13 says:

        It’s about a guy who joins a basketball team to get a girl that he likes them he ends up falling in love with the sport

        Liked by 2 people

  3. bookwormmuse says: Reply

    I would also recommend haikyuu, it’s a wonderful anime but if you don’t mind venturing into swimming then perhaps Free! is also a good choice! And yes, I am so glad you loved Yuri On Ice, it’s become one of my all time favourite anime.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. thedihedral says: Reply

      Obsessed with Haikyuu ! Started last night and I’m already on ep. 20.. Yeah, I’m that kind of person ha ! Thank you for the recommendation.

      Gaia.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Fred says: Reply

    Chihayafuru did it for me. It is about the game of Karuta which requires insane amounts of memorization, instantaneous reflexes, intense concentration, lightning fast hands and deep strategy. Men and women compete on a level playing field. This is a sport fairly specific to Japan that very few could ever get good at. Of course, watch the subbed version if possible.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. thedihedral says: Reply

      Hmm… I have a feeling I have watched a couple of episodes before ! I will have to rematch it, probably I am confusing anime ! Thank you for the recommendation Fred !

      Gaia.

      Like

  5. snowflakearmy says: Reply

    I love Natusme’s books of friends because it’s so… calming. I want to say pure 😀 it really makes me feel HAPPY. I totally rec that.
    Other than that I don’t really watch a lot of shows, but I often crochet. Keeping my hands busy while listening to an audio book or a good podcast makes me feel like i’m creating something AND learning at the same time. It’s pretty cool.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. thedihedral says: Reply

      I’ll watch it for sure ! Thank you for the recommendation, so excited to watch all of these anime whenever a get a chance 🙂

      Gaia.

      Like

    1. thedihedral says: Reply

      So pumped ! So many people recommended Haikyuu so I had to give it a try… Oh oh oh !!!! I have laughed so hard and even sweat while watching the episodes.. Beyond excited !!! Also.. Hinata is EVERYTHING

      Gaia.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Jasmine says: Reply

    Gosh, Yuri on Ice has got to be my top three favourite animes of all-time, and that’s something since I’ve watched so many animes for the past few years.
    There was something magical about Yuuri’s connection with Viktor that inspired me as a beginning writer to continue my writing and achieve great things in the near future. Thanks for mentioning this lovable anime as your recommendation. I bet more people will get excited about watching this anime, and also about the movie rumors have been saying that will be released this winter (though, I’m still not so sure yet).

    Liked by 5 people

    1. thedihedral says: Reply

      The rumors are driving me insane, every once in a while I google Yuri on Ice to see if there are any updates on the movie.. I have not been successful though 😦 Can’t wait to discuss it with you after it is released ! (Hopefully soon ?)

      Take care !

      Gaia.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Jac says: Reply

    So, Yuri!!! on Ice really is that good, huh? My friend has been trying to get me into it for the longest time, but I still haven’t checked it out. My girlfriend doesn’t like it, she says the men in it are too weak.

    Liked by 2 people

  13. bballscholar says: Reply

    i like ya page, good post huge anime fan! i have a basketball blog just trying to get my name out there. All hot topics let me know what you think.
    Respect

    Liked by 2 people

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  17. itsallaboutanime says: Reply

    Great post! I think it is really cool how anime got you so inspired and how you shared your story with us. And to answer your questions, the anime that really got me inspired to do something creative (I began drawing again after some long years of only drawing sketches in my textbooks) was Barakamon. I would recommand you to check it out if you haven’t already.

    Liked by 2 people

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